TOWER — A Lake Vermilion man is facing additional theft charges stemming from a May 20 shoplifting spree at the Northwoods True Value hardware store in Tower. Jeffery Allen Bingham, 42, who is already facing five felony charges from a series of burglaries in the area, is now charged with two gross misdemeanors for allegedly stealing several power tools while Jennifer Lee Mendoza, who accompanied Bingham, had requested help from the store owner on another end of the building.
Store owner Dan Julkowski reported the thefts to Breitung Police Chief Dan Reing, telling Reing he was working alone in the store at the time of the incident. Julkowski quickly recognized that items were missing after Bingham and Mendoza left the store. The list of stolen merchandise included:
• A Dewalt 12v brand drill, with a retail value of $220.
• A Dewalt circular saw valued at $159.
• 20-amp breakers with a value of $160.
• A Black and Decker circular saw valued at $40.
These and a few other smaller items totaled $635.97 in value, according to the statement of probable cause issued by the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office.
According to the statement, Reing spoke to Mendoza, who acknowledged being at the store with Bingham but claimed to be unaware that he intended to steal from the store. She told Reing that Bingham had pawned the stolen drill at Northstar Pawn and Gun in Virginia. Reing was able to confirm that with the pawn shop and discovered that Bingham had used his real name and a debit card with his name on it for the transaction.
Bingham remains in custody in the St. Louis County Jail in Duluth, where he was booked after his initial arrest on the burglary charges. His bail is currently set at $128,000.